Is Australia living up to its anthem?

WHAT does it mean to be Australian and are we advancing Australia fair?

In Sydney on Friday two former Australians of the Year joined the race discrimination commissioner, the next human rights commissioner and a respected indigenous leader in a panel discussion on such questions.

For the panelists it was not just a question of national identity but a chance to ask what Australians wanted Australia to be like in the future.

There was a general consensus that Australia had come a long way.

But panelists also thought the nation's successes had made Australians lose perspective, with a need to display more empathy and compassion if Australians want to live up to the fair, open society they hold themselves up to be.

"Fairness and equality, those defining values of our life, aren't always standards that we live up to and we need to keep good watch on extending everyone a fair go," Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said.

Tim Flannery, 2007 Australian of the Year, said the country needed to balance its economic development with its environmental responsibilities.

"We have to ask ourselves, have we shared the natural wealth equally? I would argue that we have not," he said.

OzHarvest founder and 2010 Local Hero Australian of the Year Ronni Kahn said she hoped Australia does not ignore its humanitarian place in the world.

"Do we want to be known as the country that turned a boat back, or do we want to be known as a country that opens its arms and allows those refugees?" she said.

Shelley Reys said former prime minister Kevin Rudd's apology in 2008 was symbolic of a new willingness to engage with indigenous people.

"Just over 20 years ago indigenous affairs was seen as something that happens on the sidelines and on the fringes," she said.

Tim Wilson, Australia's next human rights commissioner, said he hoped Australia remained committed to being an open and tolerant society.

"It's important we understand what our rights are, and what are responsibilities are with those rights."